CPED's Mission: Grow a vibrant, livable, safely built city for everyone.

Events

Love From LynLake

In the “Love from LynLake” game, players have two weeks to take the streets, hopping from place to place completing “challenges” at participating restaurants, shops, bars, salons, fitness studios, clinics, theaters, coffee shops and more. Like a bingo card, players connect a row, column, diagonal or 15 random squares. Completed cards enter a raffle for prizes.

Minneapolis Music History Engagement Event

Tuesday, March 20, 2018 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Capri Theater 2027 West Broadway, Minneapolis

This open house event will provide information on the Minneapolis Music History project and it is also intended to gather public input and shared memories of the historical music scene in Minneapolis. There will be a short tour of the Capri Theater, rare images of music in Minneapolis and other memorabilia, and light appetizers. Let's let music bring the community together.

In the News

Construction again topped $1 billion in Minneapolis during 2017

For the sixth year in a row, Minneapolis gave the green light to more than $1 billion in construction in 2017, the city announced Friday.

People are itching to live in the city, a news release said, and residential vacancy rates are scant. More than 2,000 new dwelling units got permits last year, and there’s a craving for new office space — especially in the North Loop and Uptown.

In 2017, the city locked down nearly $1.5 billion in construction permits, which came in under 2016’s almost $1.8 billion building permit valuation.

Woman Chefs and Restaurants Conference is Coming to Minneapolis

The national Women Chefs and Restaurateursconference is being held in Minneapolis in April 21–23. WCR is a group dedicated to expanding opportunities for women in restaurants, and it's not just for chefs and cooks, its also for sommeliers, managers, owners, and anyone in the field. The conference is coming to Minneapolis to the Hewing Hotel this spring because Kim Bartmann, owner of the Bryant Lake Bowl, Book Club, the Red Stag and another dozen local spots is currently the President.

New food hall with rooftop patio planned for North
Loop

Even though food halls appear to be popping up all over the Twin Cities, there is a chance that another will open its doors soon in the North Loop.

The potential project, Graze Provisions & Libations, is the work of Ohio-based Derived Development Group, according to Minneapolis planning documents. It would be built just north of the 4th Street/5th Avenue N. intersection, near Target Field.

The population of downtown Minneapolis has grown to 43,456 and isn't showing signs of slowing.

The city’s core added 2,592 people in 2017, a 6 percent year-over-year increase, according to the Minneapolis Downtown Council. The downtown population has been on the upswing for more than a dozen years after clocking in at 30,000 residents in 2006.

Here are the Twin Cities' 2018 James Beard Award
semifinalists

Newcomers like the reborn Grand Cafe (also a City Pages favorite) made the cut in several categories, while Hola Arepa's Christina Nguyen gets a nod for her latest effort, Hai Hai.

Elsewhere, Spoon and Stable pastry chef Diane Yang is in the running for Outstanding Pastry Chef, while 112 Eatery's team is recognized for Outstanding Service. And, of course, several locals are semifinalists for Best Chef: Midwest.

The Capri will undergo a major transformation in 2018

The theater Prince first performed at will soon get a multi-million dollar renovation.

The Capri Theater Expansion development, an addition to the current theater at 2027 West Broadway Ave. N, is planned to break ground this September. After a yearlong building process, the prominent new building is anticipated to open in the fall of 2019, just in time to serve students from the Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC) when school starts.

This is the second major investment that PCYC, which owns the Capri, will make in the theater since it assumed control of it in the mid-80s.

Though the stage Prince once stood on will be preserved, the rest of the theater will get a massive makeover. A brand-new set of seats will be installed and significant lighting and acoustic updates will be made.

Business Profile: Hmong Handicrafts

Left to right: quilts and pillows each with a unique pattern and color sequence, owner Ly Vang posing in front of his store, a handmade blanket embroidered with the nation of Laos. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

Hmong
Handicrafts, located in the Midtown Global Market, is a colorful business
with beautiful items that have the Hmong culture woven in every stitch of
fabric. In addition to the unique arts and crafts, you will find the owner Ly
Vang is happy to share the history of the Hmong culture. This family-owned
business has a history of its own: over 25 years ago, Ly began helping his
mother create and sell Hmong crafts and homegrown vegetables at the Saint Paul Farmers Market. To this day, Ly, along
with his brother and sister, sell his handmade crafts and their vegetables at
the Farmers Market on the weekends.

Some of the popular Hmong handicraft items in the Midtown
Global Market are purses, backpacks, and clothes created with recycled
traditional Hmong clothing; and each item of clothing is from one of the vastly
different regions of Laos.

Minneapolis Launches New Business Portal

Easy access to the Minneapolis Business Portal via computer and phone. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

The City of
Minneapolis is excited to announce the launch of an online platform designed to
make it easier for entrepreneurs and small business owners to do business in
Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Business Portal
is aimed to connect these individuals to the information and resources needed
to plan, launch, and grow a business.

Some of the features include:

Comprehensive checklists for starting a business

Starter Guides for common business types

Centralized information on the regulatory process

Library of business support organizations and programs

Whether
looking for funding opportunities or information on applying for a business
license, this online tool prepares entrepreneurs for the steps in starting or
growing their business in Minneapolis.

City Programs Support Small Business Pimento Jamaican Kitchen

Tomme Beevas and Zoe Thiel next to the Pimento Jamaican Kitchen food truck. (Souce: The City of Minneapolis Small Business and Innovation team)

The
process to start and grow a business can be difficult. However, with the help
of several City programs aimed at small business development, the owners of Pimento
Jamaican Kitchen restaurant were able to successfully achieve their dreams.

In 2017,
Beevas and co-owners Rohand Hugh and Yoni Reinharz decided they were ready to
expand. The City’s Small Business Team helped them in
navigating the regulatory and permitting process as they worked to add a patio
in the back of the restaurant and determine how they could open a Jamaican rum
bar in the space next door to the eatery. Learn more about Pimento’s work with
the City.

“Chilaquiles!” The yell came from one of the many food vendors lining the hall that extends from the main dining area of Mercado Central. We were camped out at one of the tables there eagerly awaiting our call. “Pupusas revuelta!” came another yell. Sun poured into the bright, airy room. It was late morning on Saturday, and the place was abuzz with patrons shuffling trays filled with assorted Latin American fare, scooting chairs in and out as they jumped up to grab extra piles of napkins or a bottle of hot sauce. “Torta Hawaiiana!” There are no order numbers at the top of your receipt to go by. You just have to remember what you ordered and enjoy the action while you wait to hear that call from down the hall.

Community Members Welcomed to Engage in the Minneapolis Music History Project

Prince was recently featured as Minneapolis Music History project's Artist of the Week. (Source: Spotify)

To the music and history lovers out there, the City is
leading an interactive Minneapolis
Music History project to capture the important places, structures, and
buildings that represent the history of music in Minneapolis. Music is a vital
part of the city’s past and what Minneapolis is known for. Dating back 150
years of music history, the project looks to identify key sites that deserve a
more intensive level of research. The project is made possible by a grant from
the National Park Service.

Love discovering new artists and
songs? Stay tuned weekly for the artist of the week; these artists reflect
Minneapolis music history. Follow @Growingmpls
on Twitter to stay updated on the “Artist of the Week,” along with the featured
artist’s must-listen-to-song.

Look on the Minneapolis Music History events page for upcoming events. Tuesday, March 20 is the next event.

NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center Set to Expand

Participant engaging with the Equity Crank at the 2040 Comprehensive Plan table. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

The Penn and Plymouth Community Meeting held on February 20,
2018 addressed the NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center’s Campus Expansion
project. This health and social services center has existed in North
Minneapolis for 50 years. The NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center is
experiencing rapid growth and the expansion project will meet the need for a
healthier community.

The department of Community Planning and Economic Development shared their resources and information
on the 2040
Comprehensive Plan and Minneapolis
Homes program. Other Penn-Plymouth partners
(Estes Funeral Chapel, Hennepin County, Metro Transit, Minneapolis Urban
League, Thor Development, Twin Cities LISC and University of Minnesota) shared
their knowledge and materials at the event as well.

Guide to Inclusive Hiring for Employees

City of Minneapolis Employment and Training recently updated the Guide to Inclusive Hiring for employers interested in exploring and evolving their hiring systems. Employers use the guide to proactively plan for talent acquisition by tapping into proven strategies and tactics.

Inclusive hiring is driven by diverse approaches to talent acquisition. Today’s successful organizations expand networks and design customized approaches to cultivate inclusion. The Guide offers employers a template for building on successful tactics, while also analyzing critical, higher-level factors. It serves as a hands-on tool for evaluating organizational performance along a spectrum, with leading practices clearly defined. The hiring cycle is broken into five components: planning, sourcing, evaluating, hiring and retaining.

The cover of the Minneapolis Inclusive Hiring Guide. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

Breaking Ground for the Construction of Green on 4th Apartment Homes

Local leaders breaking ground for the new apartment homes near Prospect Park. (Source: The City of Minneapolis)

The future site of Green on Fourth apartment homes is
located near the Prospect Park neighborhood at 2949 4th Street
Southeast Minneapolis. The project will transform this former
brownfield into affordable housing, green space, and a district storm water
system. The apartment homes will provide 243 units with over 60 of those units
restricted to households with incomes at and below 60 percent of the area
median income. Of those income-restricted units, 49 will be available to
households with incomes at and below 50 percent of the area median income.

Local leaders broke ground on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 on what
used to be land of Boeser Sheet Metal. Hennepin County and the Metropolitan
Council remediated the land, paving the way for the new homes to be completed
July of 2019. The City of Minneapolis collaborated with Timberland Partners and Prospect Park Properties to make this project possible.

About this newsletterGrowing MPLS is published monthly by the City of Minneapolis Community Planning and Economic Development Department. If you have questions, please contact rose.lindsay@minneapolismn.gov.

For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats please contact Rose Lindsay at 612.673.5015. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 agents at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.